While Mayor Bill de Blasio takes his victory lap through New York's harbor to celebrate the return of ferry service, it's a stark reminder we still have so far to go to achieve true transit equity for residents of the outer boroughs.

The ferry will of course be a huge positive for many, but without a free transfer to buses or subway lines, how many people will this really help?

In reality, there are only so many residents of Rockaway or South Brooklyn – the first two areas that will be serviced by the ferry – that are working on Wall Street. For the rest, their jobs are spread across all five boroughs.

So while it's nice that the city can tout their ferry being the same cost as a subway swipe, the truth is for most riders it won't be. It will be $2.75 for the trip, plus a subway swipe.

If you're a middle-class worker in Rockaway, the A train has probably never looked better than when you calculate how much commuting on the ferry will cost.

The excuse was that the state is moving away from the existing MetroCard system eventually, and that the two could be integrated down the road. And the MTA is of course under the state's purview, while NYC Ferry is a city initiative.

But who controls what doesn't mean much to the Rockaway woman working on the Upper East in Manhattan.

The city needs to come up with a strategy, whether it be some sort of reduced fare MetroCard for regular ferry riders or a rebate program if you prove with receipts that you took both. The only way to ensure high ridership is to make sure the ferry is an equitable service for all.